We are happy to announce the return of Maryland Fall, a regular difficulty high-school set written by the many talented writers of the University of Maryland’s Academic Quiz Team. Jordan Brownstein, 2016 PACE NSC head editor, will oversee editing. The set will be available starting September 30th, 2017 (date of the main site) and through the remainder of the 2017-18 season.

DistributionThe Maryland Fall set will consist of 14 power marked packets and will follow the distribution below:

Mirror FeesFees for the set will be $15 per team attending. Please email me at saryeola@gmail.com if you have any questions or are interested in mirroring the set. We will be actively seeking hosts throughout the summer and will update the list below by date.

benmillerbenmiller wrote:I'm intrigued by the .5/.5 Misc/Mixed. What subject areas are those questions drawing from? Or are they just wide-ranging common links?

I would describe the .5/.5 Misc/Mixed is something of a catch-all for anything that doesn't neatly fit into one of the pre-existing categories. Here's some content from 2016 Terrapin XXIX, the college set we produced last year, which I think is representative of this category (content-wise, not difficulty-wise).

A plant operated in Maywood, New Jersey, by the Stepan Company is responsible for processing this crop after it is imported into the United States. Pope Leo XIII granted a gold medal to Angelo Mariani for inventing a drink produced by marinating this crop in Bordeaux wine. This crop is often combined with ilucita, the ashes of the quinoa plant, before it is (*) chewed. Before becoming president, an ethnically-Aymara leader was the head of a union of growers of this crop. That leader, Evo Morales, held up this crop as he gave a speech at the United Nations calling for its legalization. The production and processing of this crop provides revenue for FARC rebels. For 10 points, name this crop, which John Pemberton included in a soft drink along with kola nuts.ANSWER: coca leaves [do not accept “cocaine,” since cocaine is not a crop]

A former national airline of this country went bankrupt in the 1990s after its “hunter strategy” of buying stakes in other small airlines backfired. A major industry of this nation uses the “60 percent rule” to determine authenticity. In June 2015, Indian supermarkets like Big Bazaar banned Maggi noodles, a product from this country, due to reports that it contained 17 times the permissible amount of lead. The IRS paid 104 million dollars to whistleblower Bradley (*) Birkenfeld after he revealed American tax evasions with the aid of a bank from this nation, UBS. Victorinox has added a USB drive and a laser pointer to newer models of a product from this nation whose original version included a nail file, scissors, and a corkscrew. For 10 points, name this European nation known for its namesake watches and knives.ANSWER: Switzerland [or the Swiss Confederation; or Suisse; accept Swiss army knifes or Swiss watches]

As part of the “shaking of the house” before this holiday, families clean their houses and replace old items. On the last Wednesday before this holiday, a festival of fire is celebrated by lighting and jumping over bonfires. In preparation for this holiday, a plate of sprouting grains is prepared for display alongside six other items whose names begin with the same letter; those items, which include sabzeh, are the (*)haft seen. In the Bahá’í Faith, this holiday marks the end of the Nineteen Day Fast. This holiday is celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, and unlike the six festivals known as the gahambars, this originally-Zoroastrian holiday continued to be celebrated after the Islamic conquest of Persia. For 10 points, name this Iranian holiday that marks the New Year.ANSWER: Nowruz [prompt on Iranian New Year or Persian New Year until “New Year” is read]